I'm pretty excited for more enchantment support. I'd like to see an enchantment subtheme become more doable in cube, especially peasant cube. I think we could see a lot of cool stuff out of Theros, but it could also turn out a big disappointment.

I'm surprised to see Zendikar come back so soon after the unpopular BFZ block. I think it would be more popular of a decision if they waited a little longer. I think they would do well to realize that the reason the original Zendikar block was so popular had less to do with the setting and more to do with the fact that it was insanely powerful compared to most sets. If it has off-color fetches at rare again, it'll do well. The cards need to look like Plated Geopede instead of Makindi Sliderunner. It was the strength of the original set that everyone responded to.

Ikoria is a big fat unknown. People have been custom designing kaiju sets for a while, so it's a decent choice.

M21 is gonna be a core set. Even if it's a great core set, it's a known quantity. Being Teferi themed isn't really different that the last one being Chandra themed.

As I suggested, the single biggest indicator of a set's popularity is its power level, not worldbuilding. Not every set can be as powerful as original Zendikar was, or we just end up with power creep. From a worldbuilding perspective, I'm most interested in new Theros. Enchantments were always my favorite card type, ever since I met my old friend Pestilence. New Zendikar will always be compared with the original, and probably won't line up.

I'm surprised to see Zendikar come back so soon after the unpopular BFZ block. I think it would be more popular of a decision if they waited a little longer. I think they would do well to realize that the reason the original Zendikar block was so popular had less to do with the setting and more to do with the fact that it was insanely powerful compared to most sets. If it has off-color fetches at rare again, it'll do well. The cards need to look like Plated Geopede instead of Makindi Sliderunner. It was the strength of the original set that everyone responded to.

[...]

As I suggested, the single biggest indicator of a set's popularity is its power level, not worldbuilding. Not every set can be as powerful as original Zendikar was, or we just end up with power creep. From a worldbuilding perspective, I'm most interested in new Theros. Enchantments were always my favorite card type, ever since I met my old friend Pestilence. New Zendikar will always be compared with the original, and probably won't line up.

The inability to separate popularity of a setting from the popularity of its power level has been a weakness of Wizards for a while now, and somehow it keeps surprising them. "This block was a return and somehow it wasn't as popular?!?!"

THEN AGAIN, just look at announcements of new sets or speculation on returns to old settings, and within the first three replies, you find someone saying "Ew, I don't like a return to <setting> the cards were weak." / "Hell yeah, a return to <setting>, this will increase power levels in standard again, can't wait."

So maybe it's not a weakness from WotC's part, maybe they are just exploiting people's inability to, like, think.

Who is ignoring Theros? It’s my absolute priority in the game, to the point it overshadowed all products this year and all other products for every year to come until the third return to Theros for me

I have to admire your dedication to the things you like. I don't really know the favorites of most of the regulars here, but I know well from being on these forums that you love Theros, Jace, and Ampryn Tactician.

Other than the obvious Elspeth line anything is possible and probably belongs in either speculation or baseless speculation.

Thats where I'm at. I've been guessing the hook is the Gatewatch will go to Theros to mourn Gideon and something will lead them to going into the underworld. Otherwise can't say much story or lore wise since we still got that second War of the Spark novel.

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I'm surprised to see Zendikar come back so soon after the unpopular BFZ block. I think it would be more popular of a decision if they waited a little longer. I think they would do well to realize that the reason the original Zendikar block was so popular had less to do with the setting and more to do with the fact that it was insanely powerful compared to most sets. If it has off-color fetches at rare again, it'll do well. The cards need to look like Plated Geopede instead of Makindi Sliderunner. It was the strength of the original set that everyone responded to.

[...]

As I suggested, the single biggest indicator of a set's popularity is its power level, not worldbuilding. Not every set can be as powerful as original Zendikar was, or we just end up with power creep. From a worldbuilding perspective, I'm most interested in new Theros. Enchantments were always my favorite card type, ever since I met my old friend Pestilence. New Zendikar will always be compared with the original, and probably won't line up.

The inability to separate popularity of a setting from the popularity of its power level has been a weakness of Wizards for a while now, and somehow it keeps surprising them. "This block was a return and somehow it wasn't as popular?!?!"

THEN AGAIN, just look at announcements of new sets or speculation on returns to old settings, and within the first three replies, you find someone saying "Ew, I don't like a return to <setting> the cards were weak." / "Hell yeah, a return to <setting>, this will increase power levels in standard again, can't wait."

So maybe it's not a weakness from WotC's part, maybe they are just exploiting people's inability to, like, think.

Its interesting that you would draw this conclusion. Of the returns only one has actually been unpopular and that was Zendikar and as far as I can find nearly everyone(including wizards) agrees it was because they returned to ROE instead of Zendikar proper. There is a subsection that belives it was because Battle was weaker but nearly everyone else blames it on the Eldrazi. Scars was significantly weaker than original Mirrodin though still very strong and it was very popular. Ravnica has been all over the place in powerlevel but has consistently been extremely popular.

The player base seems completely incapable of separating world-building from power level while wizards seem fully aware that they are completely different things.

And Dack's death is shown in the War of the Spark trailer... he was omitted from the set and added as an afterthought (just to up the count of named casualties by one third), so his death is not carded.

Yup, I hope that we'll see the spirit of Gideon in some way (like when Odysseus visits Hades and meets Achilles' spirit), but I want to him to remain dead, if not his sacrifice would be moot...
I'm pretty sure that Elspeth will return, however.